Emphysematous aortitis is a rare condition that manifests through the presence of air within or surrounding the inflamed aorta. Aortic inflammation may result from either an infective or a non-infective cause. Recognition of this rare condition is important as the resultant clinical deterioration may be rapid and lead to inevitable death. Cross-sectional imaging, with its relatively wide availability, proves an important tool in the diagnosis and subsequent management of this condition. We report two such cases encountered in our centre, with particular focus on the imaging findings on CT.

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We report the case of a 12-year-old girl who presented with heart failure symptoms that were treated as dilated cardiomyopathy. The echocardiogram showed a dilated left ventricle, poor ejection fraction, and long segment narrowing of the descending thoracic aorta. A cardiac CT further supported this finding; hence, the diagnosis of Takayasu's arteritis was proposed. The cardiac MRI revealed a non-ischemic pattern in delayed gadolinium enhancement at the lateral left ventricular wall. She was given steroidal therapy due to vasculitis but was later referred for stenting of the stenosed descending thoracic aorta.

Primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL) accounts for 1.3% of all cardiac tumours. Diagnosis is particularly challenging owing to its rarity and non-specific presentation. Although transthoracic echocardiogram is the initial imaging modality used to detect cardiac masses, advances in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) has allowed more detailed assessment, which enables accurate diagnosis and subsequent therapy. We would like to highlight two cases of PCL that were diagnosed in our institution, manifesting with typical and atypical CMR features.